Sunday of Meatfare

Meatfare Sunday and Cheesefare Sunday (next Sunday) help prepare us for Great Lent (which begins February 15th).

The final judgement is the theme
for our next preparation Sunday,
Meatfare Sunday. I am reminded of my alternative to seeking God. I can choose life in Jesus Christ or my own condemnation and death from the
weight of my own sinful behavior.
I will stand before the judgement
seat and render account at
the end of time.
Here I encounter the criteria of
judgement, support of the community.
I am called not to a personal salvation but a salvation of community.
God has been revealed in Trinity, a community, the three are one. I am created in the image and likeness of God, an Icon of God. To fulfill my full potential I must join myself to the community of faith. Together we help one another and journey to the Father.
The rules we follow are not a test, but
a method to achieve that unity as far
as is possible here on earth.
This community extends through all
time and connects all Christians past
and present to our Lord. We support
our whole community living and dead
with prayer. This is why we commemorate the deceased of our
parishes on Saturdays throughout the
Great Fast. We know that together
the living and the dead constitute the
entire body of Christ. (see 1 Corinthians
12:12-31)